The word 'seminal' is so overdone that it has practically been banned from Wikipedia,but if any band could be so described it is The Clean from Dunedin, New Zealand. Formed in 1978, they single-handedly kick-started their local scene before packing it in in 1983. That early 80's work, which combined a pop sensibility with a modern experimental approach, spread worldwide and set a template for 90's indie-rock. A brief late 80's reformation was kiboshed when drummer Hamish Kilgour moved to NYC. But occasional forays are still made made every few years. The recent release of a compilation on Merge records has led to wider recognition and they could easily play large rooms, nevertheless, on their first USA visit in 4 years, they chose to play a three night series at NYC's Cake Shop."An oasis in an ocean of shit" as guitarist David Kilgour put it. I shot all three shows, of which this was the last. The bad news is that on this night my recording of the vocals didn't work out so good. The good news is that the band did play the instrumental 'Fish' and so that is one of the songs here. It really shows off David's guitar talents which, while sounding thoroughly contemporary, echo early 60's twangers like Hank Marvin. The Clean are also known for little organ ditties, and so that is what I've picked for the other song, as Hamish sings what could be a DIY anthem - 'Whatever I Do Is Right' - while David plonks out the totally catchy melody on on a borrowed keyboard. Robert Scott is a powerhouse on bass. I missed show openers The Mad Scene, which is Hamish's own band, but he returned, just before The Clean went on, with a motley crew for an informal tribute to Syd Barrett - 'Effervescing Elephant'. Rounding out the show were Times New Viking, a joyfully ramshackle lo-fi band from Columbus, Ohio, recently picked up by Matador Records. I was just in time to get their last two songs, 'Dance Walhalla', and the half-Half Japanese cover 'Thing With A Hook'.

Clicking on the images will take you to the clips on YouTube/Google. The h.264's are iPod ready. No DVD on this one. I do intend to post up stuff from the other shows. There may be a comp DVD at some point.